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Translation Practices in Pre-colonial India:100 Interrogating StereotypesTranslations and textual production gradually shifting from Prakritto Sanskrit and other Indian languages is one way of coming toterms with the ascendancy of Sanskrit in secular matters pertainingto state.As far as the question of translations making a ‘god-spoken’tongue accessible to the vast majority of the populace is concerned,the Jainas targeted only the first three varnas. They certainly didn’ttouch the Sudras and those who were outside the varna fold.We now move to textual practices and translations duringthe Veerashaiva period and Dasa literature (Vaishnava) period.What is called ‘Bhakti movement’ is an amalgamation ofdifferent movements/ formations and expansions ofsects/religions/cross-religious churnings that happened in variousplaces across India and also across a time span ranging from the 9 thcentury to the 18 th century. In the Kannada context, the emergence ofVeerashaiva sect/religion is seen as part of the Bhakti movement,and literature (both oral and written) associated with it is also namedby some as Bhakti literature. When Jainas were engaged in textualproduction/translations in Kannada they were targeting (if at all thatwas the motive) only the first three varnas of the varna hierarchy. Itwas the Veerashaiva movement that tried to embrace as many peopleas possible across caste/varna/occupations. During this period, acertain kind of decentralization of worship of a particular god, Shiva,happens. It is during this period that in the form of vachanas 14 , aliterature that was not directly linked with an institutionalizedsponsorship either of a monastery or of a royal court beganemerging. But that was only in the 12 th century for a brief period.Later on this cult got institutionalized and produced puranic texts ofthe cult as well as Shastra literature, although in some of thevachanas there are anti-Sanskrit statements.